Notes of a reformer

There are many ideas running through my head these days. And as I scour the Scriptures for the will of God, and rest in the presence of God the Holy Spirit, I have found that I can't seem to keep these thought organized.

God save the Church.

-We severely underestimate the power of God.
-The essence of revival is not a pursuit of an outpouring of God the Spirit, as much as it is the Spirit himself. I'm exploring these concepts. I wonder if the heart of the Holy Spirit is 'revival', as if to say, 'if you were to be filled with the Holy Spirit, your heart would beat revival.'
-I believe revival is a daily thing. Roy Hesson, has a great book on revival called "The Calvary Road." He speaks of revival, as God pouring living water into the cup of a believer.
-Roy goes on to say: God will not pour the living water into a 'dirty cup'. He talks passionate about repentance and holiness.
-Nehemiah 9:20 "You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst"
-Psalm 42:1-2 "As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?"
-Jesus promises us, if we thirst, he will satisfy our thirst. So let's thirst!
-The road, the Calvary road, the road of the cross of Christ, taking up that cross, it will require suffering.
-Revival will mean suffering.
-We need to know the sufficiency of Christ, and receive the power of the Holy Spirit for ministry. We are commanded in Scripture to be filled with the Holy Spirit, but we (mostly I have in the past) think that this means at the moment of our conversion to Christ, we have received Him to the fullest.
-'Tis true! The fullness of Christ is in us, but the Holy Spirit is a mystery. We must live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and die to our flesh, to be filled with the Spirit.
-Without holiness, there shall be no rapture.
-The first fruits of revival, must be brokenness, a contrite-spirit, confession, and repentance. Read Nehemiah 1. Read the rest of the book, to see the revival that took place.
-More to come.

Grace and peace.

Am I to weep silently!?

I woke up this morning, after a wonderful night. Ready to: start coffee, sit down and enjoy it, blog about Hebrews 10 and something the Lord has put on my heart, get ready for church and begin the day. But instead I'd like to go on a rant. Raise your hand if that bothers you...
...
No one...?
...Okay! Great. I want you all to take a look at this: "Wash Away Your Sins: Towelette"
I want it to affect you, I want it to hurt you, and I want you to remember it. I'm choosing to place it right along side the following text from the book of Jeremiah. I think you'll find it appropriate.

Jeremiah 7:19,20
Is it I whom they provoke? declares the LORD. Is it not themselves, to their own shame? Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: behold, my anger and my wrath will be poured out on this place, upon man and beast, upon the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched."

I think I know what Samson felt like in Judges 16:30 now. Honestly, if this sort of thing does not disgust you... if you don't want to 'turn the tables over,' I question the Holy Spirit within you. I do!

It's this time of year man. People start losing their minds, I swear. Consider this: How many 'professing' non-Christians do you think actually buy this. Of the actual purchases I'm willing to bet maybe 10%. The sad truth is, this sinful product is marketed to professing "Christians!" (Or Fictians, right?) I can almost imagine it: a few church-goers and their lukewarm sidekicks are out buying presents. Harmless, until they come upon this product. Maybe they laugh, maybe they gasp, maybe they buy it just to show people how funny it is, maybe they think it's actual "Christian" (given the cultural mistakes of our day, I wouldn't be surprised), maybe... just maybe they actually believe it will help them. This is the spiritual equivalent of accepting a drink from Satan with a 'roofie' in it.

But do not participate with it! Be fervently against this devilry. Do be cautious that the well-being of your soul is at stake the more you involve yourself with this Godlessness. It's not just about the fact that they are mocking God (or at least trying to in vain, right, because we know in the end, God will not be mocked!). It's about the false gospel! The audacity of this proclamation. And then even to market it for profit! HOW DARE THEY!

2 Timothy 3:1-5
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

And so the last days approach. With all kinds of evil, even new kinds unknown to the world thus far. Be on your gaurd, and be in prayer. Pray for revival, and pray for discernment. Pray that God would have mercy on us. Pray that He would save many, many, many more.

So I plead because He bled.

This is the third post of a chain starting with "Not for our sake, but for His" I recommend starting there. Thanks.

Let us pray.

-Glorious exalted God. Prepare our hearts for the conviction that is from the Spirit. Rekindle the fire of our first love passion for Jesus, and give us great clarity. Clarity that we, by your esteemed grace, will accept the truth of your Scriptures, and repent of all that is unpleasing to you.
For your glory, and in your Name. Jesus.
Amen.

Matthew 16:13
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?"
- Notice that Jesus is not asking any one disciple, but rather asking all of his disciples.
16:14-16
And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
- Hahaha aww... I love Peter. Amen!
Matthew 16:17-19
And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."
- So the disciples told him. "Well Jesus, people are talking, and no one really knows who the Son of Man is." So Jesus gets to the heart of the matter. "..who do you say that I am?" Notice that Peter replied. He was asking all the disciples but here we see the heart of Peter, so eager to please and so child-like in faith.
- "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!"
Amen! Praise be to God!
- Then Jesus' does not bless Peter, but rather reveals that Peter is blessed. Jesus tells Peter that man did not reveal this to him, but rather God the Father did! Can you imagine that? I can only imagine that Peter looked around at the disciples with a smirk on his face. "Did you hear that guys? Blessed am I. Take a look at me, Simon Bar-Jonah, you guys could learn a little something by paying attention to me."
- I'll tell you what guys. Jesus is LORD! Jesus is the Son of the living God, and He alone is the Christ. Only through him can we be saved. And another thing, this has been revealed to me by God the Father! I have not come to know this apart from His grace! No one has. Let's read on though.
16:20
Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
- Is not that a weird thing to say? "Yes! Praise be to my Father, that He has blessed you Peter. But now, do not tell anyone the truth." Not only does Jesus say not to speak of this revelation, he strictly charged them not to. You see, the Hebrew people had an idea of what the Messiah was to be like. They thought he was supposed to come and be king! Rule on the throne of David, destroy the Romans, and establish the country of Israel forever, and walk with them! But as we are to find out...this was not the plan of God's Christ. We are far from the point, let us go on.
Matthew 16:21
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
- Jesus began to preach the gospel to his disciples! He's already laid the foundation of repentance (Hebrews 6) Now, he's preaching the truth of the gospel, before it has even happened.
16:22
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man."
- And Peter, who had just recently been so esteemed before the rest of the disciples is utterly rebuked. First let me set this up. In those days, it was impossible to even think, that a disciple would correct his teacher, let alone rebuke him. It would never happen, because it was considered a vicious insult.
- Yet this is exactly what happens. Now it has been often taught, that this is the worst rebuke that Jesus ever gave to anyone (even considering the Pharisees), and it is. That is true. But what is often left out, is that Jesus rebukes Peter in love. I have heard this verse read with a scream "Get BEHIND ME SATAN!" and I have heard it proclaimed in a harsh dry voice "Ghet Thee BeeHyyndth ME Sayton!"
- But let me submit this to you. Jesus spoke it in a whisper, but stressed it in a plea! As if to say "Why would you say that to me, don't you see Peter!? I don't want to suffer! But I must! For the sake of the Father! And for you! For all of you! Don't try and stop me Peter please!" It was spoken with such love, that Peter did not flee for the hills, or utterly turn from Christ. But we find instead that he pursued him all the more.
- Now, we come to the climax of what God was showing me. I am Peter. This is me. For surely even in pride I can not say that I am Christ in this passage. I know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Yet I am trying to take him down from the cross! "Don't go there Jesus!" "Don't get on that cross, you will suffer." Why am I admitting this you might ask? Well listen to what Jesus says next.
Matthew 16:24-25
Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
- I have been calling Christ down from the cross, since he told me I had to pick it up and follow him. All of us have at some point. Many of you still are! In Matthew 27:42 it says "He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him." You see!? Come down Jesus, it will make it easier on us, if we don't have to follow you in this way. The way of Christ, the path of the disciple is one of great suffering and pain. For it is the way of the cross. I am not saying we will be without joy and peace! But these two things do not depend on our comfort or happiness. Be aware! Jesus says 'he who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.' To bear the cross is to deny yourself! And so I urge you, as Christ the Son of the living God has urged me, take up your cross brothers! Take up your cross, not for your sake, not for your life, but that others might live! That others might see Jesus alive in you! Not for our happiness, but for the glory of God!

Brothers, take up your crosses!

This is a continuing of "Not for our sake, but for His", I reccommend reading that post before this one. Thanks.

It was not always this way.
I often delighted in the 'comfort' I received from my church. I believed that the soft, warm, feeling of safety, was a 'blessing of God.' I confess now, that it is for my own happiness that I would go to church. I never questioned the songs we sang, or the way we sang them. The thought had scarcely occurred to me that any church was different from my church.
It was not always this way.
I remember once, thinking, how come I raise my hands when I sing "Once His enemy, now seated at His table...Jesus Thank You!" and no one else does? It must be because I've only heard this song 4-5 times in church, and everyone else has heard it 400-500 times. I slowly lowered my hand to the curt-smiles of my fellow-church-goers. I almost heard them say "That's a good boy, you're young so you did not understand. Raising your hands is just flashy, and unnecessary. That's better is it not, there now you are acting like a Christian." Then a dear brother of mine took me to Brooklyn Tabernacle Church for their weekly prayer meeting. To my awe of God's power, 3,000 people were drawn out on a Tuesday night, to pray. To pray! I would not have dreamed such a feeling, such a site. And the first words I heard... "fellow children, let us lift our hands in prayer to our God." The rest was a blur of blessings, as I shot up my hand, almost racing the other 2,999 people to the limit of their reaches.
It was not always this way.
Soon I began to discover, that there are two "Christianity's" in America. (I say America, for I do not know the world.) One of these is false, the other is true.
Let's talk about the false "Christianity" first. Even in my own typing I can not bear the pain of tagging the title of Christianity to what this heresy represents. I guess I will call it Fictianity.

Fictianity
What lies! Do tell me how the Scriptures allow for a worldly life?! Do please enlighten me how we, as the children of God, can possibly go on sinning without repentance!? The church of America is not the Church of God. The church of America, holds no position in the Body of Christ. The church of America preaches a false gospel.
It will be said, or has been said to you: "Have you invited Christ into your heart?" "Did you confess that Christ was Lord at the age of 5, in childhood bible school?" Only to follow with a heretical comment such as "Then you're saved, for 'there is no condemnation for those in Christ." It was never ever described in the great commission of Christ (Matthew 28) to "Get people to say my name with a smile, so that I can give them a mansion in heaven!"
What vile debauchery! Are we drunk!?
We were never called to make a judgement on 'whether or not a person is saved.'
"Oh but Michael does it not say 'you shall know them by their fruits.'"
-"Twist not Scripture, lest ye be like Satan."
Indeed it does say we 'shall know them by their fruits.' And I know a sour apple when I taste it! I will not feed upon the figs of venom any longer. For the fruits of sin are death!

Enough of this rubbish. Let us rid ourselves of false doctrines, and Fictianity. Let us, stop wearing the world and keeping Jesus in our pocket. Vin once said "People go on sinning, breaking out the Jesus-Christ-credit-card when ever we sin. 'oops I sinned, let me charge it on Jesus' blood.'"

Christianity
As I have found, a few weeks ago... and brothers and sisters, this walk together is just beginning, Christianity can be described in a few words.
"Take up your cross and follow me, anyone who does not pick up their cross daily and follow me, is not worthy of me."

I urge you brothers, bear the cross and scorn its shame (Hebrews 12:1-3), for the joy set before you. I remind you joy is not happiness, happiness is not joy (this topic for another day). Repent I beg you, and take a way of pain, for the glory of God. We must lose our lives for His sake to keep them, not seek to keep our lives for our sake to lose them.

Alas, more to come. We will be talking about Matthew 16:13-28 next time.

Not for our Sake, but for His.

There is much, that has happened since my last post. In fact, a job change, two living location changes, my brother in Christ (Josh) got married to my sister in Christ (Nicole), they moved in together, another friend got engaged, another friend is pregnant, my wife got in a car accident, our car got totaled, and much much more.
This blog however is not too much about my private-personal life, but my public-personal life, the life that I have in Christ, and the life that is not mine but His.
Among the changes I have listed thus, I have failed to mention the incredible change the Holy Spirit is doing in me. Cutting down my roots of pride, destroying my 'figs of venom,' and truly changing me. It is going to be a walk, that I hope we can take together. I hope what God the Father has revealed to me through God the Spirit, by grace, he may reveal it to you by the same grace.
It all began at the start of this new job. My current occupation, has allowed me to spend much time in prayer, and conversation with another brother in the Lord. His name is Vin. I will tell you that Vin and I have had a lot of obstacles in the way of our unification as the children of God, but we were never at an impasse due to the glorious grace - God has poured out on us. Perhaps more on that subject later.
I have found that Vin and I share the same disgust for the 'cultural Christianity' of our day. This is the 'bread of the pharisee's' in our generation, and it has become a vile plague which we fear has the same spiritual finality of the Islamic religion.
Regardless, I'm writing this entry in the hopes that the point of this blog will change dramatically. At one time it was basically an online prayer journal. I'm not displeased with what it was, but God is telling me to turn it into something more.
Perhaps better described. God wants me to be a scribe. He is telling me to record the changes in my life, not alone for the benefit and encouragement of others, but also for my own exhortation. That what our Father is doing is permanent and everlasting within me. That by His grace, I will no longer return to the drudge of worldliness, but that when sanctified, the process, the pruning, the cultivation, will not be in vain! Rather, that it would sustain and the 'figs of venom' I was bearing as fruit, will be burned up, and nothing but the fruit of life will spring forth from me.
So let us walk together. As we pursue God. I encourage replies, and questions. Let me, by the power of the Holy Spirit, in me, exhort you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, to stand up for the Truth. That Truth which is God the Father, Son, Spirit. For we must surely realize, that if we do not stand up for Him, those who stand against Him, will use us as doormats. And our fate will be to lick the mud off the sin-stained boot of the enemy.